Buckeye GameDay Advance

• Who: No. 11 Ohio State (1-0) vs. Ohio (1-0). • When: 8 p.m. Tuesday • Where: Columbus, Schottenstein Center (19,809). • TV: Big Ten Network. • Series: Ohio State leads 17-4. • Buckeye Notes: Senior point guard Aaron Craft recently was added to the 15-player U.S. Basketball Writers Association watch list for its Oscar Robertson Trophy, given to its National Player of the Year. ... Former Buckeyes Jerry Lucas (1961, 1962) and Evan Turner (2010) won the USBWA award. ... Ohio State is 52-13 against teams from the Mid-American Conference. ... Ohio State coach Thad Matta and Ohio coach Jim Christian were assistant coaches together at Miami University in 1994-95. • Bobcat Notes: The previous time Ohio played Ohio State was in the 1994 NIT at St. John Arena. The Bobcats won the game, 78-67, as current Buckeye assistant Jeff Boals made 7-of-11 shots for 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats. ... Nick Kellogg, the son of former Buckeye great Clark Kellogg, is a senior at Ohio. He scored 16 points with five rebounds in the season-opening win against Northern Iowa, 75-63. ... Ohio was 24-10 and 14-2 in the MAC this past season.

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COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s men’s basketball team is an enigma.

How can a team that is so much like it was a season ago be so different?

The program is unchanged, and the personnel is largely the same. However, the Buckeyes have a new vibe.

“I think collectively we’ve all made steps to get better,” senior guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. said before the season. “We saw a lot of ways to improve (upon) last season just watching film. We’ve all worked better to correct some of our mistakes.”

Defense has been the team’s calling card for some time, and that won’t change in 2013-14. The Buckeyes still will play fundamental, man-to-man defense with guards Aaron Craft and Shannon Scott hawking opposing ballhandlers, Smith and Sam Thompson trying to lock down wings, and center Amir Williams and backup Trey McDonald protecting the rim.

The most noticeable differences will be found on the other side of the court.

“Shooting is the part of the game we’ve been working on. Everyone’s shooting the ball really well,” Smith said.

For the past few years, the Buckeyes were predictable on offense. Whether it was feeding All-American Jared Sullinger in the post or finding All-American forward Deshaun Thomas in the spots from which he liked to operate, the team no longer has that kind of player — one who demands touches and dominates game plans.

“I think we’ve got guys capable of taking and making open shots if we play collectively as a team,” Smith said. “Guys are finding one another and we’re playing really well right now.”

Ohio State must make up the 20 points per game lost after Thomas turned pro following his junior year. Conventional wisdom had junior forward LaQuinton Ross, a role player who came on strong at the end of 2012-13, filling that spot. But early signs show the Buckeyes are taking a more democratic approach.

“The points aren’t going to be the hard part for us,” Smith said. “I think they’ll easily come through if we keep playing as a team. I think if everybody tries to step up and take that role and try to make themselves something, ultimately that will hurt the team.”

In the season opener, the Buckeyes saw five players reach double figures en route to 89 points.

With Ross replacing Thomas and Scott moving into the starting lineup, Ohio State is looking to up the tempo at the start of games. With Thompson now coming off the bench, he can be a spark of energy at multiple positions, giving coach Thad Matta flexibility.

It all leads to the same end; Matta wants his group to play faster for 40 minutes. And that includes his two post players.

“They gotta go. They have to run,” Matta said of Williams and McDonald. “They’ve got to be runners. When they go, good things happen.”

McDonald has lost 17 pounds as he will take the spot left by Evan Ravenel. Williams looks more sleek as well.

“I feel like I’ve gained a lot more confidence in my post game, just being more physical and more aggressive. I’m confident I can score down there.” Williams said. “I feel like my conditioning is getting a lot better from where it was a year ago.”

McDonald said both were challenged to find one pet move they can use in the post.

“I like to think I added some things,” McDonald said in the preseason, before unveiling a nifty dropstep and shake on Morgan State in the opener.

But if the bigs get in foul trouble, Matta showed in 2012-13 that he’s not against using a small lineup. Against Morgan State, he only used it for eight minutes, but the coach is going to be more freewheeling when it comes to different combinations on the floor this season.

The Buckeyes go a legit nine-deep.

“It gives us an opportunity to be very aggressive and run against teams,” Smith said.

It also gives Matta cover against foul trouble with the new handchecking and charging rules taking effect this season.

“It’s going to be fun to piece it all together,” Matta said. “These guys are great in taking pride in the things they can do.”

In all, it will make Ohio State an interesting team to follow in 2013-14.

Rob McCurdy covers Ohio State men’s basketball for the Media Network of Central Ohio and can be reached at rmccurdy@gannett.com or 419-521-7241. On Twitter follow @McMotorsport.